Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G21—NUCLEAR PHYSICS; NUCLEAR ENGINEERING
  • G21K—TECHNIQUES FOR HANDLING PARTICLES OR IONISING RADIATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; IRRADIATION DEVICES; GAMMA RAY OR X-RAY MICROSCOPES
  • G21K5/00—Irradiation devices
  • G21K5/08—Holders for targets or for other objects to be irradiated
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G21—NUCLEAR PHYSICS; NUCLEAR ENGINEERING
  • G21K—TECHNIQUES FOR HANDLING PARTICLES OR IONISING RADIATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; IRRADIATION DEVICES; GAMMA RAY OR X-RAY MICROSCOPES
  • G21K5/00—Irradiation devices
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • H05G—X-RAY TECHNIQUE
  • H05G2/00—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for producing X-rays, not involving X-ray tubes, e.g. involving generation of a plasma
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • H05G—X-RAY TECHNIQUE
  • H05G2/00—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for producing X-rays, not involving X-ray tubes, e.g. involving generation of a plasma
  • H05G2/001—X-ray radiation generated from plasma
  • H05G2/008—X-ray radiation generated from plasma involving a beam of energy, e.g. laser or electron beam in the process of exciting the plasma

Definitions

• This disclosure relates to an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light generation system.
• EUV extreme ultraviolet
• LPP Laser Produced Plasma
• DPP Discharge Produced Plasma
• Synchrotron Radiation (SR) type system in which orbital radiation is used.
• An apparatus may be used with a laser apparatus and may include a chamber, a target supply for supplying a target material to a region inside the chamber, a laser beam focusing optical system for focusing a laser beam from the laser apparatus in the region, and an optical system for controlling a beam intensity distribution of the laser beam.
• a system for generating extreme ultraviolet light may include a laser apparatus, a chamber, a target supply for supplying a target material to a region inside the chamber, a laser beam focusing optical system for focusing the laser beam in the region inside the chamber, an optical system for adjusting a beam intensity distribution of the laser beam, and a laser controller for controlling a timing at which the laser beam is outputted from the laser apparatus .
• FIGs. 1A through 1C are diagrams for discussing a technical issue pertaining to this disclosure.
• Figs. 2A through 2C each show a droplet of a target material being irradiated with a pre-pulse laser beam in this disclosure.
• Figs. 3A through 3C each show another example of a droplet of a target material being irradiated with a pre- pulse laser beam in this disclosure.
• Fig. 4A shows the relationship between a diameter of a droplet and a diameter of a pre-pulse laser beam in this disclosure, as viewed in the direction of the beam axis .
• Fig. 4B shows the relationship between a diameter of a diffused target and a diameter of a main pulse laser beam in this disclosure, as viewed in the direction of the beam axis.
• Fig. 5 shows the relationship between a range within which the position of a droplet varies and a diameter of a pre-pulse laser beam, as viewed in the direction of the beam axis .
• Figs. 6A through 6C are diagrams for discussing examples of a beam intensity distribution of the pre-pulse laser beam in this disclosure.
• Fig. 7 is a diagram for discussing a beam intensity distribution of a laser beam with which a target material is irradiated.
• FIG. 8 schematically illustrates an exemplary configuration of an EUV light generation system according to a first embodiment.
• Fig. 9 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a beam- shaping optical system.
• Fig. 10 is a conceptual diagram showing another example of a beam- shaping optical system.
• Fig. 11 is a conceptual diagram showing yet another example of a beam- shaping optical system.
• Fig. 12 is a conceptual diagram showing yet another example of a beam- shaping optical system.
• Fig. 13 is a conceptual diagram showing yet another example of a beam- shaping optical system.
• FIG. 14 schematically illustrates an exemplary configuration of an EUV light generation system according to a second embodiment .
• FIG. 15 schematically illustrates an exemplary configuration of an EUV light generation system according to a third embodiment .
• FIG. 16 schematically illustrates an exemplary configuration of an EUV light generation system according to a fourth embodiment .
• Fig. 17A is a conceptual diagram showing a droplet being irradiated with a pre-pulse laser beam.
• Fig. 17B is a conceptual diagram showing a torus- shaped diffused target, which has been formed as a droplet is irradiated with a pre-pulse laser beam, being irradiated with a main pulse laser beam having a top-hat beam intensity distribution, as viewed in the direction perpendicular to the beam axis.
• Fig. 17C is a conceptual diagram showing a torus- shaped diffused target, which has been formed as a droplet is irradiated with a pre-pulse laser beam, being irradiated with a main pulse laser beam having a top-hat beam intensity distribution, as viewed in the direction of the beam axis.
• Fig. 18 schematically illustrates an exemplary configuration of a Ti : sapphire laser configured to output a pre-pulse laser beam in an EUV light generation system according to a fifth embodiment.
• Fig. 19 schematically illustrates an exemplary configuration of a fiber laser configured to output a pre- pulse laser beam in an EUV light generation system according to a sixth embodiment.
• FIG. 20 schematically illustrates an exemplary configuration of an EUV light generation system according to a seventh embodiment .
• FIG. 21 schematically illustrates an exemplary configuration of an EUV light generation system according to an eighth embodiment.
• FIG. 22 schematically illustrates an exemplary configuration of a laser apparatus used in an EUV light generation system according to a ninth embodiment.
• Fig. 23 is a graph on which the obtained conversion efficiency (CE) for the corresponding fluence of a pre-pulse laser beam is plotted.
• Fig. 24 is a graph on which the obtained CE for the corresponding delay time since a droplet is irradiated with a pre-pulse laser beam until a diffused target is irradiated by a main pulse laser beam for differing diameters of the droplet .
• FIGs. 1A through 1C are diagrams for discussing a technical issue pertaining to this disclosure.
• Figs. 1A through 1C each shows that a droplet DL of a target material is irradiated with a pre-pulse laser beam P. It is
• the pre-pulse laser beam P strikes the droplet DL at a timing at which the droplet DL reaches the intersection of dash-dotted lines as shown in Fig. IB.
• pre-plasma may be generated from a surface of the droplet DL that has been irradiated with the pre-pulse laser beam P. As shown in Fig. IB, the pre-plasma may jet out in a direction substantially opposite to the direction in which the pre-pulse laser beam P
• the pre-plasma may be a vaporized target material that includes ions and neutral particles of the target material generated from the surface of the droplet DL that has been irradiated with the pre-pulse laser beam P.
• the phenomenon where the pre-plasma is generated is referred to as laser ablation.
• the droplet DL when the droplet DL is irradiated with the pre-pulse laser beam P, the droplet DL may be broken up. As shown in Fig. IB, the broken-up droplet DL may be diffused in a direction in which the pre-pulse laser beam P travels due to the reaction force of the jetting-out pre-plasma.
• a target that includes at least one of the pre-plasma and the broken-up droplet generated when a droplet is irradiated with a pre-pulse laser beam may be referred to as a diffused target.
• irradiating the droplet DL with the pre-pulse laser beam P may vary. As shown in Fig. 1A, the position of the droplet DL may be offset upwardly from the intersection of the dash- dotted lines. As shown in Fig. 1C, the position of the droplet DL may also be offset downwardly from the
• the beam intensity distribution of a laser beam outputted from a laser apparatus is in a Gaussian distribution. Because of the Gaussian distribution as shown by the dotted lines in Figs. 1A through 1C, the pre-pulse laser beam P may have a higher beam intensity around at its center portion around the beam axis, but has a lower beam intensity at its peripheral portion.
• the droplet DL is irradiated with the pre-pulse laser beam P having such a beam intensity distribution, there is a possibility for the droplet DL to be irradiated with the pre-pulse laser beam P such that the center of the droplet DL is offset from the beam axis of the pre-pulse laser beam P, as shown in Figs. 1A and 1C.
• the energy of the pre-pulse laser beam P may be provided
• the energy of the pre-pulse laser beam P may be provided intensively to a part of the droplet DL which is closer to the center of the Gaussian beam intensity distribution in the pre-pulse laser beam P (see Figs. 1A and 1C) .
• the pre- plasma may jet out in a direction that is different from the beam axis of the pre-pulse laser beam P.
• the aforementioned broken-up droplet may be diffused in a direction that is different from the beam axis of the pre- pulse laser beam P due to the reaction force of the jetting- out pre-plasma.
• a diffused target which is generated when a droplet is irradiated with a pre-pulse laser beam having the Gaussian beam intensity distribution may be diffused in a direction that is different from the direction of the beam axis depending on the position of the droplet relative to the beam axis of the pre-pulse laser beam when the droplet is irradiated with the pre-pulse laser beam. Accordingly, it may become difficult to irradiate the diffused target stably with a main pulse laser beam.
• Figs. 2A through 2C each show a droplet of a target material irradiated with a pre-pulse laser beam in this disclosure.
• the position of the droplet DL relative to the beam axis of the pre-pulse laser beam P when the droplet DL is irradiated with the pre-pulse laser beam P may vary.
• the pre-pulse laser beam P may have such a beam intensity distribution that includes a region (diameter Dt) where the beam intensity along a cross-section of the pre-pulse laser beam P has substantial uniformity.
• the droplet DL is located within the region (diameter Dt) where the beam intensity along the cross-section of the pre-pulse laser beam P has substantial uniformity.
• the droplet DL may be irradiated with the pre-pulse laser beam P with substantially uniform beam intensity across the irradiation surface of the droplet DL. Accordingly, even when the position of the droplet DL relative to the beam axis of the pre-pulse laser beam P varies when the droplet DL is
• the target material forming the droplet DL may be diffused in a
• the entire diffused target may be irradiated with the main pulse laser beam M.
• Figs. 3A through 3C each show another example of a droplet of a target material irradiated with a pre-pulse laser beam in this disclosure.
• the pre-pulse laser beam P may have such a beam intensity distribution that includes the region (diameter Dt) where the beam intensity along the cross-section of the pre-pulse laser beam P has substantial uniformity.
• the droplet DL when irradiated with the pre-pulse laser beam P, may be broken up and diffused in a disc-shape to form a diffused target.
• a diffused target may be obtained under the condition where the droplet DL is a mass -limited droplet (approximately 10 pm in diameter) and the beam intensity of the pre-pulse laser beam P is controlled to substantial intensity, which will be described later.
• the droplet DL may be located within the region (diameter Dt) where the beam intensity along the cross-section of the pre-pulse laser beam P has substantial uniformity.
• the droplet DL may be irradiated with the pre-pulse laser beam P at
• the target material forming the droplet DL may be diffused in a
• the entire diffused target may be irradiated with the main pulse laser beam M.
• the droplet DL may preferably be irradiated with the pre-pulse laser beam P with substantially uniform beam intensity across a hemispherical surface thereof.
• the diameter Dt of the aforementioned region may preferably be larger than the diameter Dd.
• a possible variation ⁇ may preferably be taken into consideration.
• the diameter Dt of the aforementioned region may preferably satisfy the following condition.
• the diameter Dt of the aforementioned region may preferably be equal to or larger than the sum of the
• diameter Dd of the droplet DL and the variation ⁇ in the position of the droplet DL are assumed to vary in opposite directions along a plane perpendicular to the beam axis.
• double the variation ⁇ (2 ⁇ ) is added to the diameter Dd of the droplet DL .
• Fig. 4A shows the relationship between a diameter of a droplet and a diameter of a pre-pulse laser beam, as viewed in the direction of the beam axis.
• Fig. 4B also shows the relationship between a diameter of a diffused target and a diameter of a main pulse laser beam, as viewed in the direction of the beam axis.
• the diameter Dt of the aforementioned region may preferably be equal to or larger than the sum of the diameter Dd and 2 ⁇ .
• a beam diameter Dm of the main pulse laser beam M may preferably be equal to or larger than a diameter De of the diffused target.
• the droplet DL may be diffused in the direction perpendicular to the beam axis of the pre- pulse laser beam P.
• the variation in the position of the diffused target does not depend on the direction into which the droplet is diffused, but may depend primarily on the already-existing variation ⁇ in the position of the droplet DL when the droplet DL is irradiated, with the pre- pulse laser beam P.
• the beam diameter Dm of the main pulse laser beam M may preferably satisfy the following condition.
• the beam diameter Dm of the main pulse laser beam M may preferably be equal to or larger than the sum of the diameter De of the diffused target and the variation ⁇ in the position of the droplet DL.
• the position of the droplet DL is assumed to vary in opposite directions along a plane perpendicular to the beam axis.
• double the variation ⁇ (2 ⁇ ) is added to the diameter De of the diffused target.
• Table 1 below shows examples of the variation ⁇ in the position of the droplet DL.
• ⁇ may be set to a, 3 ⁇ , ... , for example.
• the probability of the droplet DL irradiated (or not irradiated) with the pre-pulse laser beam P such that the droplet DL is located within a region where the beam intensity distribution along the cross- section of the pre-pulse laser beam P has substantial uniformity may be calculated.
• the probability of the droplet DL not being irradiated with the pre-pulse laser beam P such that the droplet DL is located within the aforementioned region is shown in the right column.
• the aforementioned probability is 15.9% when the variation ⁇ is ⁇ , 2.28% when the variation ⁇ is 2 ⁇ , and 0.135% when the variation ⁇ is 3 ⁇ .
• each of the pre-pulse laser beam P and the main pulse laser beam M has a circular cross - section and each of the droplet DL and the diffused target has a circular cross-section
• this disclosure is not limited thereto.
• the cross-section is not circular, the relationship between the spot size of a given laser beam and the size of a droplet may be defined two-dimensionally in terms of the area. For example, an area (mathematical) of a region (two-dimensional plane) where the beam intensity distribution along the cross- section of the pre-pulse laser beam P has substantial uniformity may exceed the area (mathematical) of the maximum cross-section of the droplet DL. Further, the minimum area of the region where the beam intensity distribution along the cross- section of the pre-pulse laser beam P has
• substantial uniformity may be equal to or larger than the sum of the area of the maximum cross -section of the droplet DL and the variation in the position of the droplet DL.
• an area of the cross -section of the main pulse laser beam M may be larger than the area of the maximum cross-section of the diffused target.
• the area of the minimum cross-section of the main pulse laser beam M may be equal to or larger than the sum of the area of the maximum cross -section of the diffused target and the
• Fig. 5 shows the relationship between a range within which the position of the droplet DL may vary and the diameter of the pre-pulse laser beam P, as viewed in the direction of the beam axis.
• the variation in the position of the droplet DL along the plane perpendicular to the beam axis of the pre-pulse laser beam P may be evaluated in various directions.
• Xdmax is the sum of the radius of a droplet DL and the maximum amount
• Ydmax is the sum of the radius of a droplet DL and the maximum amount (distance) in which the center position of the droplet DL varies in the Y-direction from a plane containing the beam axis of the pre-pulse laser beam P, the plane extending in the X-direction.
• the maximum value of the variation along the X-direction is greater than the maximum value of the variation along the Y-direction (Xdmax > Ydmax) .
• the size of the cross-section (the substantially uniform intensity distribution region) of the pre-pulse laser beam P may be determined in consideration of the variation along the X-direction.
• the size of the pre-pulse laser beam P may be determined such that a region where the beam intensity distribution along the cross-section of the pre-pulse laser beam P has substantial uniformity may have a circular shape with a diameter FR equal to or greater than Xdmax.
• the pre- pulse laser beam P may be shaped such that the substantially uniform intensity distribution region has an elliptical or any other suitable shape with the dimension in the X- direction equal to or greater than Xdmax.
• the region may have any suitable shape where the dimension in the X-direction is equal to or greater than (Xdmax + TR) .
• the diameter of the pre-pulse laser beam P may be adjustable in accordance with the variation in the position of the droplet DL. When the diameter of the pre- pulse laser beam P is changed while the energy of the pre- pulse laser beam P is retained constant, the beam intensity of the pre-pulse laser beam P along the irradiation plane varies inversely to the square of the beam diameter.
• the energy of the pre-pulse laser beam P may be adjusted in order to retain the beam intensity constant.
• the size or the shape of the cross-section thereof may be adjusted in accordance with the variation in the position of the diffused target along the X-direction and the Y-direction.
• Figs. 6A through 6C are diagrams for discussing examples of the beam intensity distribution of the pre-pulse laser beam in this disclosure.
• the beam intensity distribution of such pre-pulse laser, beam P may be a top-hat distribution and can be considered to have the substantial uniformity.
• the pre-pulse laser beam P may preferably include the substantially uniform beam intensity distributed center portion, as shown in Figs. 6A through 6C.
• the beam intensity distribution of a given laser beam does not need to be perfectly uniform. It is sufficient as long as the above-discussed region (e.g., Figs. 4A and 4B) of the cross-section of the given laser beam has a certain uniformity.
• Fig. 7 is a diagram for discussing the beam
• the laser beam may not be said to have the substantial uniformity in a given region (diameter Dt) along its cross-section depending on a difference between a value Imax and a value Imin.
• the value Imax is the highest beam intensity in the given region and the value Imin is the lowest beam intensity in the given region.
• the value of a variation C below may be equal to or smaller than 20(%) .
• the value of the variation C equal to or smaller than, for example, 10(%) may be considered to be preferable than 20 %.
• a gap ⁇ between two adjacent peaks may be equal to or smaller than, for example, one half of the diameter Dd of the droplet DL to say that the pre- pulse laser beam P has the substantially uniform beam intensity distribution.
• FIG. 8 schematically illustrates an exemplary configuration of an EUV light generation system according to a first embodiment.
• the EUV light generation system of the first embodiment may be of an LPP type.
• an EUV light generation system 20 may include a chamber 1, a target supply unit 2, a pre-pulse laser apparatus 3, a main pulse laser apparatus 4, and an EUV collector mirror 5.
• the chamber 1 may be a vacuum chamber in which the EUV light is generated.
• the chamber 1 may be provided with an exposure apparatus connection port 11 and a window 12.
• the EUV light generated inside the chamber 1 may be
• the laser beams outputted from the pre-pulse laser apparatus 3 and the main pulse laser apparatus 4, respectively, may enter the chamber 1 through the window 12.
• the target supply unit 2 may be configured to supply a target material, such as tin (Sn) or lithium (Li) for generating the EUV light, into the chamber 1.
• the target material may be outputted through a target nozzle 13 in the form of droplets DL.
• the diameter of the droplet DL may be in the range between 10 ⁇ and 100 ⁇ .
• those that are not irradiated with a laser beam may be collected into a target collector 14.
• Each of the pre-pulse laser apparatus 3 and the main pulse laser apparatus 4 may be a master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) type laser apparatus configured to output a driving laser beam for exciting the target
• MOPA master oscillator power amplifier
• the pre-pulse laser apparatus 3 and the main pulse laser apparatus 4 may each be configured to output a pulse laser beam (e.g., a pulse duration of a few to several tens of nanoseconds) at a high repetition rate (e.g., 10 to 100 kHz) .
• the pre-pulse laser apparatus 3 may be configured to output the pre-pulse laser beam P at a first wavelength
• the main pulse laser apparatus 4 may be configured to output the main pulse laser beam M at a second wavelength.
• a Yttrium Aluminum Garnet (YAG) laser apparatus may be used as the pre-pulse laser apparatus 3, and a C0 2 laser
• main pulse laser apparatus 4 ' may be used as the main pulse laser apparatus 4 ' .
• this disclosure is not limited thereto, and any other suitable laser apparatuses may be used.
• the pre-pulse laser beam P from the pre-pulse laser apparatus 3 may be transmitted through a beam combiner 15a and through the window 12, and be reflected by a laser beam focusing optical system, such as an off-axis paraboloidal mirror 15b. Then, the pre-pulse laser beam P may pass through a through-hole 21a formed in the EUV collector mirror 5, and be focused on the droplet DL in the plasma generation region PS. When the droplet DL is irradiated with the pre-pulse laser beam P, the droplet DL may be turned into a diffused target.
• the main pulse laser beam M from the main pulse laser apparatus 4 may be reflected by the beam combiner 15a, transmitted through the window 12, and reflected by the off- axis paraboloidal mirror 15b. Then, the main pulse laser beam M may pass through the through-hole 21a, and be focused on the diffused target in the plasma generation region PS.
• the diffused target When the diffused target is irradiated with the main pulse laser beam M, the diffused target may be excited by the energy of the main pulse laser beam . Accordingly, the diffused target may be turned into plasma, and rays of light at various wavelengths including the EUV light may be emitted from the plasma.
• the EUV collector mirror 5 may have a spheroidal concave surface on which a multilayer reflective film formed by alternately laminating a molybdenum (Mo) layer and a silicon (Si) layer is formed to selectively collect and reflect the EUV light at a central wavelength of 13.5 nm.
• the EUV collector mirror 5 may be positioned so that a first focus of the spheroidal surface lies in the plasma
• the EUV light reflected by the EUV collector mirror 5 may be focused in the intermediate focus region IF and then be outputted to an external exposure apparatus .
• a beam-shaping optical system 31 may be configured to adjust the beam intensity distribution of the pre-pulse laser beam P with which the droplet DL is to be irradiated.
• the apparatus 3 may first be expanded in diameter by a beam expander 30 and then enter the beam- shaping optical system 31.
• the beam- shaping optical system 31 may adjust the beam intensity distribution of the pre-pulse laser beam P such that the pre-pulse laser beam P contains a region where the beam intensity distribution along a cross-section of the pre-pulse laser beam P has substantial uniformity at a position where the droplet DL is irradiated therewith and such that the diameter Dt of the aforementioned region is greater than the diameter Dd of the droplet DL (see, e.g., Fig. 4A) .
• the pre-pulse laser beam P outputted from the beam- shaping optical system 31 is incident on the beam combiner 15a.
• the main pulse laser apparatus 4 may include a master oscillator 4a, a preamplifier 4c, a main amplifier 4e, and relay optical systems 4b, 4d, and 4f respectively disposed downstream from the master oscillator 4a, the preamplifier 4c, and the main amplifier 4e.
• the master oscillator 4a may be configured to output a seed beam at the second wavelength.
• the seed beam from the master oscillator 4a may be amplified by the preamplifier 4c and the main amplifier 4e to have a desired beam intensity.
• amplified seed beam is outputted from the main pulse laser apparatus 4 as the main pulse laser beam M, and the main pulse laser beam M is then incident on the beam combiner 15a.
• the beam combiner 15a may be configured to transmit the pre-pulse laser beam P outputted from the pre-pulse laser apparatus 3 at the first wavelength (e.g., 1.06 ⁇ ) with high transmittance and to reflect the main pulse laser beam M outputted from the main pulse laser apparatus 4 at the second wavelength (10.6 ⁇ ) with high reflectance.
• the beam combiner 15a may be positioned such that the transmitted pre-pulse laser beam P and the reflected main pulse laser beam may travel in substantially the same direction into the chamber 1. More specifically, the beam combiner 15a may include a diamond substrate on which a multilayer film having the aforementioned
• the beam combiner 15a may be configured to reflect the pre-pulse laser beam P with high reflectivity and to transmit the main pulse laser beam M with high transmittance .
• the place of the pre-pulse laser apparatus 3 and that of the main pulse laser apparatus 4 with respect to the beam combiner 15a may be switched.
• the pre-pulse laser beam P may contain a region where the beam intensity distribution along a cross-section thereof has substantial uniformity at a position where the droplet DL is irradiated therewith, and the diameter Dt of such a region is greater than the diameter Dd of the droplet DL. Accordingly, the variation in the position of the diffused target resulting from the variation in the position of the droplet DL may be reduced. In turn, the entire diffused target may be irradiated with the main pulse laser beam M, and
• the stability in the energy of the generated EUV light may be improved.
• the pre-pulse laser beam P and the main pulse laser beam M may be guided to the plasma generation region PS along
• the EUV light generation system 20 that includes the pre-pulse laser apparatus 3 and the main pulse laser apparatus 4 is described. This
• the embodiment ( s) of this disclosure may be applied to a chamber apparatus used with an external laser apparatus configured to supply excitation energy into the chamber apparatus for generating the EUV light.
• Fig. 9 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a beam- shaping optical system.
• the beam- shaping optical system shown in Fig. 9 may include a diffractive optical element 31a.
• the diffractive optical element 31a may comprise a transparent substrate on which minute concavities and convexities for diffracting an incident laser beam are formed.
• the concavity/convexity pattern on the diffractive optical element 31a may be designed such that the diffracted laser beam, when focused by a focusing optical system, forms a spot having substantially uniform beam intensity
• the diffracted laser beam outputted from the diffractive optical element 31a may be focused by a focusing optical system 15 (e.g., the off- axis paraboloidal mirror 15b shown in Fig. 8) .
• a focusing optical system 15 e.g., the off- axis paraboloidal mirror 15b shown in Fig. 8 .
• the droplet DL may be irradiated with the pre -pulse laser beam P having a top-hat beam intensity distribution.
• Fig. 10 is a conceptual diagram showing another example of a beam- shaping optical system.
• the beam- shaping optical system shown in Fig. 10 may include a phase shift optical element 31b.
• the phase shift optical element 31b may comprise a transparent substrate which is thicker at the center portion than in the peripheral portion.
• the phase shift optical element 31b may give a phase difference n between a laser beam transmitted through the center portion and a laser beam transmitted through the peripheral portion. Because of the phase optical element 31b, an incident laser beam having the Gaussian beam intensity distribution may be converted into such a laser beam that, when focused by the focusing optical system 15, forms a spot having a top-hat beam intensity . distribution across its cross-section, and outputted from the phase shift optical element 31b.
• Fig. 11 is a conceptual diagram showing yet another example of a beam-shaping optical system.
• the beam-shaping optical system shown in Fig. 11 may include a mask 32 having an opening of any shape formed therein.
• the mask 32, a collimator lens 33, and the focusing optical system 15 may constitute a reduced projection optical system 31c.
• the mask 32 may allow a portion of an incident pre-pulse laser beam P where a beam intensity distribution has substantial uniformity to pass therethrough.
• the reduced projection optical system 31c may be configured to project an image of the pre-pulse laser beam P having passed through the mask 32 on the droplet DL through the collimator lens 33 and the focusing optical system 15. Accordingly, the droplet DL may be irradiated with the pre-pulse ' laser beam P having a top- hat beam intensity distribution.
• Fig. 12 is a conceptual diagram showing yet another example of a beam-shaping optical system.
• the beam- shaping optical system shown in Fig. 12 may include a fly-eye lens array 34 in which a number of small concave lenses are arranged.
• the fly-eye lens array 34 and the focusing optical system 15 may constitute a Kohler illumination optical system 31d.
• the Kohler illumination optical system 31d the incident pre-pulse laser beam P may be diverged, at an angle by the respective concave lenses in the fly-eye lens array 34, and the diverged laser beams may overlap with one another at the focus of the focusing optical system 15.
• the distribution of the pre-pulse laser beam P may become substantially uniform at the focus of the focusing optical system 15. Accordingly, the droplet DL may be irradiated with the pre-pulse laser beam P having a top-hat beam intensity distribution.
• transmissive optical elements are used to adjust the beam intensity distribution of the pre-pulse laser beam P.
• This disclosure is not limited thereto, and reflective optical elements may be used instead.
• each of Figs. 9 through 12 shows a case where a beam-shaping optical system is combined with a focusing optical system, this disclosure is not limited thereto.
• a single optical element may be configured to fulfill both functions. For example, an optical element in which minute concavities and convexities as in the diffractive optical element are formed on a focusing lens, or an optical element in which a
• focusing mirror has the phase shift function may be used.
• Fig. 13 is a conceptual diagram showing yet another example of a beam- shaping optical system.
• the beam- shaping optical system shown in Fig. 13 may include a multi -mode optical fiber 31e.
• a focusing optical system 30g in place of the beam expander 30 (see Fig. 8) , may be provided in a beam path between the pre-pulse laser
• the pre-pulse laser beam P from the pre-pulse laser apparatus 3 may be focused by the focusing optical system 30g and may enter the multi-mode optical fiber 31e.
• the pre-pulse laser beam P may be focused in accordance with the numerical aperture of the multi-mode optical fiber 31e.
• the multi-mode optical fiber 31e has a larger core than a single-mode optical fiber, and has multiple paths through which the laser beam travels. Accordingly, when the pre-pulse laser beam P having the Gaussian beam intensity distribution passes through the multi-mode optical fiber 31e, the beam intensity
• the pre-pulse laser beam P having the Gaussian beam intensity distribution may be converted into a laser beam having a top-hat beam intensity distribution.
• the focusing optical system 15g may project an image of the pre-pulse laser beam P from the multi-mode optical fiber 31e on the droplet DL so that the droplet DL may be irradiated with the pre-pulse laser beam P having a top-hat beam intensity distribution.
• Fig. 14 schematically illustrates an exemplary configuration of an EUV light generation system according to a second embodiment.
• the pre-pulse laser beam P from the pre-pulse laser apparatus 3 and the main pulse laser beam M from the main pulse laser apparatus 4 may be guided into the chamber 1 along separate beam paths .
• the pre-pulse laser beam P from the pre-pulse laser apparatus 3 may be reflected by a high-reflection mirror 15c, transmitted through a window 12b, and reflected by an off-axis paraboloidal mirror 15d. Then the pre-pulse laser beam P may be focused on the droplet DL in the plasma generation region PS through a through-hole 21b formed in the EUV collector mirror 5. When the droplet DL is irradiated with the pre-pulse laser beam P, the droplet DL may be turned into a diffused target.
• the main pulse laser beam M from the main pulse laser apparatus 4 may be reflected by a high-reflection mirror 15e, transmitted through the window 12, and reflected by the off-axis paraboloidal mirror 15b. Then, the main pulse laser beam M may be focused on the diffused target in the plasma generation region PS through the through-hole 21a formed in the EUV collector mirror 5.
• the pre-pulse laser beam P and the main pulse laser beam M may
• each optical system may be designed independently of one another such that each' of the pre-pulse laser beam P and the main pulse laser beam M forms a spot of a desired size.
• the droplet DL and the diffused target may respectively be irradiated with the pre-pulse laser beam P and the main pulse laser beam M in substantially the same direction without an optical element, such as a beam combiner which makes the beam paths of the pre-pulse laser beam P and the main pulse laser beam coincide with each other.
• FIG. 15 schematically illustrates an exemplary configuration of an EUV light generation system according to a third embodiment.
• a position detection mechanism for detecting the droplet DL may be added to the EUV light generation system according to the first
• the position detection mechanism may include a droplet Z-direction detector 70 and a droplet XY-direction detector 80.
• the droplet Z-direction detector 70 may be any type of the droplet Z-direction detector 70.
• the droplet Z-direction detector 70 may send a Z-position detection signal to a laser trigger generation mechanism
• the laser trigger generation mechanism 71 may send a pre-pulse laser oscillation trigger signal to the pre-pulse laser apparatus 3 when a first delay time elapses.
• the pre-pulse laser apparatus 3 may output the pre-pulse laser beam P based on the pre-pulse laser oscillation trigger signal.
• the first delay time may be set appropriately so that the pre-pulse laser beam P from the pre-pulse laser apparatus 3 strikes the droplet DL in the plasma generation region PS.
• the droplet DL may be irradiated with the pre-pulse laser beam P in the plasma generation region PS and turned into a diffused target.
• the laser trigger generation mechanism 71 may send a main pulse laser oscillation trigger signal to the main pulse laser apparatus 4 when a second delay time elapses.
• the main pulse laser apparatus 4 may output the main pulse laser beam M based on the main pulse laser oscillation trigger signal.
• the second delay time may be set such that the diffused target is irradiated with the main pulse laser beam M from the main pulse laser apparatus 4 at a timing at which the diffused target is diffused to a desired size .
• the timing at which the pre-pulse laser beam P is outputted and the timing at which the main pulse laser beam M is outputted may be controlled based on the detection result of the droplet Z-direction detector 70.
• jitters temporary fluctuations
• the jitters may include: (1) a jitter in time required for the droplet Z- direction detector 70 to output a signal (oa) ; (2) a jitter in time required to transmit various signals (ob) ; (3) a jitter in time required to process various signals (oc) ; (4) a jitter in time required for the pre-pulse laser apparatus 3 to output the pre-pulse laser beam P (ad) ; and (5) a jitter in time required for the main pulse laser apparatus 4 to output the main pulse laser beam M (of) .
• the standard deviation oj of the above jitters may be expressed in the expression below.
• oj (oa 2 + ob 2 + oc 2 + od 2 + of 2 + ⁇ ⁇ ⁇ ) 1/2
• the deviation in the Z-direction between the focus ' of the pre-pulse laser beam P and the position of the droplet DL may, for example, be expressed as 2oj ⁇ v, where v is the speed of the droplet DL.
• a diameter Dtz of a region where the beam intensity distribution along a cross- section of the pre-pulse laser beam P has substantial uniformity may preferably satisfy the following condition.
• the droplet XY-direction detector 80 may be
• a droplet XY controller 81 configured to detect the position of the droplet DL along a plane perpendicular to the travel direction (Z-direction) of the droplet DL, and send an XY-position detection signal to a droplet XY controller 81.
• the droplet XY controller 81 may determine whether or not the position of the detected droplet DL falls within a permissible range. When the position of the droplet DL does not fall within the permissible range, the droplet XY controller 81 may send an XY driving signal to a droplet XY control mechanism 82.
• the droplet XY control mechanism 82 may drive a driving motor provided in the target supply unit 2 based on the received XY driving signal. With this, the position toward which the droplet DL is outputted may be controlled. In this way, the position of the droplet DL along the XY plane may be controlled in accordance with the detection result of the droplet XY-direction detector 80.
• the position toward which the droplet DL is outputted is controlled along the XY plane.
• This disclosure is not limited thereto.
• the angle at which the droplet DL is outputted from the target supply unit 2 may be controlled.
• Fig. 16 schematically illustrates the configuration of an EUV light generation system according to a fourth embodiment.
• the EUV light generation system according to the fourth embodiment may include a beam- shaping optical system 41 provided between the main pulse laser apparatus 4 and the beam combiner 15a to adjust the beam intensity distribution of the main pulse laser beam M.
• the configuration of the beam-shaping optical system 41 may be similar to that of the beam- shaping optical system 31 configured to adjust the beam intensity
• the beam- shaping optical system 41 may adjust the beam intensity distribution of the main pulse laser beam M such that the main pulse laser beam M contains a region where the beam intensity distribution along a cross-section has substantial uniformity. With this, the entire diffused target may be irradiated with the main pulse laser beam M at substantially uniform beam intensity.
• Fig. 17A is a conceptual diagram showing the droplet DL being irradiated with the pre-pulse laser beam P.
• Figs. 17B and 17C are conceptual diagrams showing that a torus -shaped diffused target, which has been formed when the droplet DL is irradiated with the pre-pulse laser beam P, is irradiated with the main pulse laser beam M having a top-hat beam intensity distribution.
• Figs. 17A and 17B are diagrams viewed in the direction perpendicular to the beam axes of the pre-pulse laser beam P and the main pulse laser beam M.
• Fig. 17C is a diagram viewed in the direction of the beam axis of the main pulse laser beam M.
• the droplet DL may be broken up to form a torus-shaped diffused target as shown in Figs. 17B and 17C.
• the torus -shaped diffused target may be diffused into a torus -shape
• Specific conditions for generating a torus-shaped diffused target may, for example, be as follows.
• the range of the beam intensity of the pre-pulse laser beam P may be from 6.4xl0 9 W/cm 2 to 3.2 ⁇ 10 10 W/cm 2 inclusive.
• the droplet DL may be 12 ⁇ to 40 ⁇ inclusive in diameter.
• the torus -shaped diffused target may, for example, be formed in 0.5 ⁇ to 2.0 ⁇ after the droplet DL is irradiated with the pre-pulse laser beam P.
• the diffused target may preferably be irradiated with the main pulse laser beam M in the aforementioned period after the droplet DL is irradiated with the pre-pulse laser beam P.
• the torus- shaped diffused target may be shaped such that the length in the direction of the beam axis of the pre-pulse laser beam P is shorter than the length in the direction perpendicular to the beam axis of the pre-pulse laser beam P.
• the torus- shaped diffused target of such dimensions may preferably be irradiated with the main pulse laser beam M in the same direction as the pre-pulse laser beam P. Accordingly, the diffused target may be irradiated with the main pulse laser beam M more uniformly, and thus the main pulse laser beam M may be absorbed efficiently by the diffused target. In turn, the conversion efficiency (CE) in the LPP type EUV light generation system may be improved.
• the pre-pulse laser beam P may not need to have a top-hat beam intensity distribution.
• the beam-shaping optical system 31 shown in Fig. 16 may be omitted.
• the beam-shaping optical system 31 may be provided in order to reduce the variation in the position of the diffused target resulting from the variation in the position of the droplet DL.
• the diffused target is irradiated with the main pulse laser beam M having a top-hat beam intensity distribution, plasma is emitted cylindrically from the torus-shaped diffused target. Then, the plasma diffused toward the inner portion of the cylinder may be trapped therein. This may generate high- temperature, high-density plasma, and improve the CE .
• the term "torus -shape" means an annular shape, but the diffused target need not be perfectly annular in shape, and may be substantially annular in shape.
• the torus-shaped diffused target comprises particles of the target material which is diffused by the pre-pulse laser beam P. The particles aggregate to have the torus shape.
• a diameter Dtop of a region where the beam intensity distribution of the main pulse laser beam M has substantial uniformity may preferably be in the following relationship with an outer diameter Dout of the torus-shaped diffused target.
• the diameter Dtop of the aforementioned region may preferably be equal to or larger than the sum of the outer diameter Dout of the torus -shaped diffused target and double the variation ⁇ (2 ⁇ ) in the position of the torus-shaped diffused target.
• the entire torus- shaped diffused target may be irradiated with the main pulse laser beam M at substantially uniform beam intensity.
• a larger portion of the diffused target may be turned into plasma.
• debris of the target material may be reduced.
• Fig. 18 schematically illustrates an exemplary configuration of a Ti : sapphire laser configured to output the pre-pulse laser beam P in an EUV light generation system according to a fourth' embodiment .
• a Ti : sapphire laser 50a of the fifth embodiment may be provided outside the chamber 1 as a pre-pulse laser apparatus.
• the Ti: sapphire laser 50a may include a laser resonator formed by a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror 51a and an output coupler 52a.
• a concave mirror 53a, a first pumping mirror 54a, a Ti : sapphire crystal 55a, a second pumping mirror 56a, and two prisms 57a and 58a are provided in this order from the side of the semiconductor saturable absorber mirror 51a in the optical path in the laser resonator.
• the Ti: sapphire laser 50a may include a pumping source 59a for introducing a pumping beam into the laser resonator.
• the first pumping mirror 54a may be configured to transmit the pumping beam from the outside of the laser resonator with high transmittance and reflect the laser beam inside the laser resonator with high reflectance.
• Ti : sapphire crystal 55a may serve as a laser medium that undergoes stimulated emission with the pumping beam.
• the two prisms 57a and 58a may selectively transmit a laser beam at a wavelength.
• the output coupler 52a may transmit a part of the laser beam amplified in the laser resonator and output the amplified laser beam from the laser resonator, and reflect the remaining part of the laser beam back into the laser resonator.
• the semiconductor saturable absorber mirror 51a may have a reflective layer and a saturable absorber layer laminated thereon.
• a part of an incident laser beam of low beam intensity may be absorbed by the saturable absorber layer, and another part of the incident laser beam of high beam intensity may be transmitted through the saturable absorber layer and reflected by the reflective layer. With this, the pulse duration of the incident laser beam may be shortened.
• a semiconductor pumped Nd:YV0 4 laser may be used as the pumping source 59a.
• the second harmonic wave from the pumping source 59a may be introduced into the laser
• the position of the semiconductor saturable absorber mirror 51a may be adjusted so as to adjust the resonator length for a given longitudinal mode. This adjustment may lead to mode- locking of the Ti: sapphire laser 50a, and a picosecond pulse laser beam may be outputted through the output coupler 52a.
• the pulse laser beam may be amplified by a regenerative amplifier.
• the picosecond pulse laser beam may be outputted, and the droplet DL may be irradiated with the pre-pulse laser beam P having such a pulse duration. Accordingly, the droplet DL can be diffused with relatively small pulse energy.
• Fig. 19 schematically illustrates an exemplary configuration of a fiber laser configured to output the pre- pulse laser beam P in an EUV light generation system
• a fiber laser 50b of the sixth embodiment may be provided outside the chamber 1 as a pre-pulse laser apparatus.
• the fiber laser 50b may include a laser resonator formed by a high-reflection mirror 51b and a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror 52b.
• a grating pair 53b, a first polarization maintenance fiber 54b, a multiplexer 55b, a separation element 56b, a second polarization maintenance fiber 57b, and a focusing optical system 58b may be provided in this order from the side of the high-reflection mirror 51b in the beam path in the laser resonator.
• the fiber laser 50b may include a pumping source 59b for
• the multiplexer 55b may be configured to introduce the pumping beam from the pumping source 59b to the first polarization maintenance fiber 54b and may transmit a laser beam traveling back and forth between the first polarization maintenance fiber 54b and the second polarization
• the first polarization maintenance fiber 54b may be doped with ytterbium (Yb) , and may undergo stimulated emission with the pumping beam.
• the grating pair 53b may selectively reflect a laser beam at a wavelength.
• the semiconductor saturable absorber mirror 52b may be similar in configuration and function to the semiconductor saturable absorber mirror 51b in the fifth embodiment.
• the separation element 56b may separate a part of the laser beam amplified in the laser resonator and output the separated laser beam from the laser resonator and return the remaining part of the laser beam back into the laser resonator. This configuration may lead to mode-locking of the fiber laser 50b.
• a picosecond pulse laser beam may be outputted through the separation element 56b.
• the direction of the pre-pulse laser beam P may easily be adjusted since the pre-pulse laser beam P is guided through an optical fiber .
• the wavelength may be advantageous.
• the absorptivity may increase with the second harmonic wave (a wavelength of 532 nm) , further with the third harmonic wave (a wavelength of 355 nm) , and even further with the fourth harmonic wave (a wavelength of 266 nm) .
• a picosecond pulse laser beam is used.
• similar effects can be obtained even with a femtosecond pulse laser beam.
• a droplet can be diffused even with a nanosecond pulse laser beam.
• a fiber laser with such specifications as a pulse duration of approximately 15 ns, a repetition rate of 100 kHz, pulse energy of 1.5 mJ, a wavelength of 1.03 pm, and the M 2 value of below 1.5 may be used as a pre- pulse laser apparatus.
• the irradiation pulse energy is E (J)
• the pulse duration is T (s)
• the diameter of a region where the beam intensity distribution has substantial uniformity is Dt (m)
• the beam intensity W (W/m 2 ) of the pre-pulse laser beam P may be expressed in the following expression.
• Table 2 shows four examples (case 1 through case 4) of the irradiation conditions of the pre-pulse laser beam P.
• the diameter of a molten tin droplet is 10 ⁇
• the diameter Dt of a region where the beam intensity distribution has substantial uniformity is 30 m.
• the irradiation pulse energy E is set to 0.3 mJ, and the pulse duration T is set to 20 ns .
• the beam intensity of 2.12 ⁇ 10 9 W/cm 2 may be obtained.
• the irradiation pulse energy E is set to 0.3 mJ, and the pulse duration T is set to 10 ns .
• the beam intensity W of 4.24*10 9 W/cm 2 may be obtained.
• the irradiation pulse energy E is set to 0.3 mJ, and the pulse duration T is set to 0.1 ns .
• the beam intensity W of 4.24x1 ⁇ 11 W/cm 2 may be obtained.
• a diffused target as shown in Fig. 3B may be generated.
• the irradiation pulse energy E is set to 0.5 mJ, and the pulse duration T is set to 0.05 ns .
• the beam intensity W of 1.41 ⁇ 10 12 W/cm 2 may be obtained.
• a diffused target as shown in Fig. 3B may be generated. In this way, the high beam intensity W may be obtained when a picosecond pulse laser beam is used as the pre-pulse laser beam P.
• the droplet having a diameter of 10 ⁇ is used. This disclosure, however, is not limited thereto.
• the diameter Dt of a region where the beam intensity distribution has substantial uniformity may be set to 30 ⁇ . 13. Seventh Embodiment
• Fig. 20 schematically illustrates an exemplary configuration of an EUV light generation system according to a seventh embodiment.
• the EUV light generation system according to the seventh embodiment may differ from the EUV light generation system according to the fourth embodiment described with reference to Fig. 16 in that the pre-pulse laser apparatus 3 (see Fig. 16) is not provided.
• the droplet DL may be turned into plasma with only the main pulse laser beam M.
• the beam- shaping optical system 41 may adjust the beam intensity distribution of the main pulse laser beam M so as to include a region where the beam intensity distribution along a cross-section has substantial uniformity.
• irradiation beam intensity of the main pulse laser beam on the droplet DL may be kept small.
• Fig. 21 schematically illustrates an exemplary configuration of an EUV light generation system according to an eighth embodiment.
• the EUV light generation system according to the eighth embodiment may include a laser apparatus 7 configured to output both the pre-pulse laser beam P and the main pulse laser beam M.
• the laser apparatus 7 may include a first master oscillator 7a, a second master oscillator 7b, a beam path adjusting unit 7c, the preamplifier 4c, the main amplifier 4e, and the relay optical systems 4b, 4d, and 4f .
• the first master oscillator 7a may be configured to generate a seed beam of the pre-pulse laser beam P.
• the second master oscillator 7b may be configured to generate a seed beam of the main pulse laser beam M. The seed beams generated by the first and second master oscillators 7a and 7b,
• the beam path adjusting unit 7c may adjust the beam paths of the seed beams to overlap spatially with each other and output the seed beams to the relay optical system 4b.
• Each of the pre-pulse laser beam P and the main pulse laser beam M outputted from the laser apparatus 7 may have the beam intensity distribution thereof adjusted by the beam- shaping optical system 41 so as to include a region where the beam intensity distribution has substantial uniformity.
• the beam intensity distribution of both laser beams may be adjusted by a signal beam-shaping optical system 41.
• FIG. 22 schematically illustrates an exemplary configuration of a laser apparatus used in an EUV light generation system according to a ninth embodiment.
• a laser apparatus 8 of the ninth embodiment may be provided outside the chamber 1 as a pre-pulse laser apparatus.
• the laser apparatus 8 may include a master
• the preamplifier 8g and the main amplifier 8h may be
• the master oscillator 8a may include a stable resonator formed by a high-reflection mirror 8b and a partial reflection mirror 8c, and a laser medium 8d.
• the laser medium 8d may be provided between the high-reflection mirror 8b and the partial reflection mirror 8c.
• the laser medium 8d may be an Nd:YAG crystal, a Yb:YAG crystal, or the like.
• the crystal may be columnar or planar.
• Each of the high-reflection mirror 8b and the partial reflection mirror 8c may be a flat mirror or a curved mirror.
• Aperture plates 8e and 8f each having an aperture formed therein may be provided in the beam path in the stable resonator.
• Each of the preamplifier 8g and the main amplifier 8h may include a laser medium.
• This laser medium may be an Nd : YAG crystal, a YbrYAG crystal, or the like.
• the crystal may be columnar or planar.
• the stable resonator formed by the high-reflection mirror 8b and a partial reflection mirror 8c may oscillate in a multi-traverse mode.
• the cross-sectional shape of the multi-traverse mode laser beam may be modified in accordance with the shape of the apertures formed in the respective aperture plates 8e and 8f provided in the stable resonator. With this configuration, a laser beam having a cross- sectional shape in accordance with the shape of the
• a laser beam having a top-hat beam intensity distribution may be generated without using a beam- shaping optical system.
• the cross-sectional shape of the laser beam having a top-hat beam intensity distribution may become rectangular.
• the cross-sectional shape of the laser beam having a top-hat beam intensity distribution may become circular.
• the cross-sectional shape of the laser beam having a top-hat beam intensity distribution may be made rectangular by using the aperture plates 8e and 8f having rectangular apertures formed therein. In this way, the cross -sectional shape of the laser beam having a top-hat beam intensity distribution at a spot may be
• the cross -sectional shape of the laser beam may be controlled by the cross -sectional shape of the laser medium 8d.
• Fig. 23 is a graph on which the obtained conversion efficiency (CE) for the corresponding fluence of the pre- pulse laser beam is plotted.
• the fluence may be defined as energy per unit area in a cross-section of a laser beam at its focus.
• the measuring conditions are as follows. A molten tin droplet of 20 ⁇ im in diameter is used as a target
• a laser beam with a pulse duration of 5 ns to 15 ns outputted from a YAG laser apparatus is used as a pre- pulse laser beam.
• a laser beam with a pulse duration of 20 ns outputted from a C0 2 laser apparatus is used as a main pulse laser beam.
• the beam intensity of the main pulse laser beam is 6.0 ⁇ 10 9 W/cm 2
• the delay time for the irradiation with the main pulse laser beam is 1.5 s from the irradiation with the pre-pulse laser beam.
• the vertical axis shows the CE obtained in the case where each of the diffused targets generated in accordance with the respective
• irradiation conditions of the pre-pulse laser beam is irradiated with the main pulse laser beam of substantially the same condition.
• the measurement results shown in Fig. 23 reveal that increasing the fluence of the pre-pulse laser beam may improve the CE (approximately 3%) . That is, at least in a range where the pulse duration of the pre-pulse laser beam is 5 ns to 15 ns , there is a correlation between the fluence and the CE.
• the fluence, instead of the beam intensity, of the pre-pulse laser beam may be controlled.
• the measurement results shown in Fig. 23 reveal that the fluence of the pre-pulse laser beam may preferably be in the range of 10 mJ/cm 2 to 600 mJ/cm 2 .
• the range of 30 mJ/cm 2 to 400 mJ/cm 2 is more preferable.
• the range of 150 mJ/cm 2 to 300 mJ/cm 2 is even more preferable.
• Fig. 24 is a graph on which the obtained CE for the corresponding delay time since a droplet is irradiated with a pre-pulse laser beam until a diffused target is irradiated by a main pulse laser beam is plotted for differing
• the measuring conditions are as follows. Molten tin droplets of 12 ⁇ , 20 ⁇ , 30 ⁇ , and 40 ⁇ in diameter are used as the target material.
• a laser beam with a pulse duration of 5 ns outputted from a YAG laser apparatus is used as a pre-pulse laser beam.
• the fluence of the pre- pulse laser beam is 490 mJ/cm 2 .
• a laser beam with a pulse duration of 20 ns outputted from a C0 2 laser apparatus is used as a main pulse laser beam.
• the beam intensity of the main pulse laser beam is 6.0 ⁇ 10 9 W/cm 2 .
• the delay time for the irradiation with the main pulse laser beam may preferably be in a range of 0.5 ⁇ to 2.5 ⁇ from the irradiation with the pre-pulse laser beam. More specifically, the optimum range of the delay time for the irradiation with the main pulse laser beam to obtain a high CE may differ depending on the diameters of the droplets.
• the delay time for the irradiation with the main pulse laser beam may preferably be in a range of 0.5 ps to 2 ⁇ from the irradiation with the pre-pulse laser beam.
• the range of 0.6 ⁇ to 1.5 is more preferable.
• the range of 0.7 is to 1 ⁇ is even more preferable.
• the delay time for the irradiation with the main pulse laser beam may preferably be in a range of 0.5 to 2.5 s from the irradiation with the pre-pulse laser beam.
• the range of 1 s to 2 ⁇ is more preferable.
• the range of 1.3 to 1.7 ⁇ is even more preferable.
• the delay time for the irradiation with the main pulse laser beam may preferably be in a range of 0.5 ⁇ ⁇ to 4 ⁇ from the irradiation with the pre-pulse laser beam.
• the range of 1.5 ⁇ to 3.5 ⁇ ⁇ is more preferable.
• the range of 2 ps to 3 ⁇ ⁇ is even more preferable.
• the delay time for the irradiation with the main pulse laser beam may preferably be in a range of 0.5 ⁇ to 6 ⁇ from the irradiation with the pre-pulse laser beam.
• the range of 2 ps to 4 ⁇ ⁇ is even more preferable.

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